Readers Respond: December 2011

“My 5-year-old says, ‘Now that’s what I’m talking
about! Let’s read this right now!’ And that comment
was not about the kids section! Love it!” Stephanie, Facebook

Biologos and Biblical Warning

Many thanks, especially for the report on BioLogos. I have always been suspicious
of the compromising nature of the entire “Intelligent Design” movement, but
found it hard to put my uneasiness into words. Many thanks, AiG, for helping
to protect believers from the type of savage “wolf attacks” the Bible warns
us about!

Laura M., Mountain Grove, Montana

I just want to agree how true it is that we must not compromise for the sake
of science. For a recently saved Christian (6 months ago), the theory of evolution
was a major barrier for me in regard to believing the Bible. I will continue
to use [your magazine] to teach a biblically sound young earth creation by our
amazing Creator!

Ryan B., Lawrence, Kansas

Obvious Yet Unseen

I enjoyed the special article about “Noah’s World.” The idea that he had the
same diversity of land types (desert, rain forest, etc.) is so obvious; and
yet I had bought into the idea that there was only one type. I was amazed at
how I still have to learn so much to remove the indoctrination that I have grown
up with.

Kevin D., Facebook

Answers in Prison

I subscribed to the Answers magazine for my daughter who is in prison.
She was thrilled almost beyond words when she received her first issue. She
read it from cover to cover the first night she got it and has allowed others
to read, including an atheist friend there. Did you ever think you’d have a
prison ministry? You do now.

Audrey D., Franklin Furnace, Ohio

Knives For More Than Just Steak

In “A Closer Look at T. rex” you say that “most theropod teeth are thin
blades, often possessing serrations, like the edge of a steak knife.” This language
makes it sound as if they were designed to eat meat. Your error is in assuming
that only meatcutting tools have serrated edges. Nothing could be farther from
the truth. There are many tools for cutting vegetation that have serrated edges,
a saw being the most obvious example. Also the blades of the combine to harvest
wheat and similar crops have many serrated and replaceable teeth, and they are
even referred to as teeth. If someone already believes in evolution, the steak
knife analogy creates another hurdle for them to get over, but the saw analogy
makes the eating of vegetation seem as natural for the theropod as it actually
was.

Dale F., Colorado Springs, Colorado

Author’s Response: You are absolutely correct that serrations are
possessed by both carnivorous and herbivorous organisms, and their presence
or absence does not, by itself, determine what an animal ate. The question
then moves to what kind of serrations and what other features of that animal
point us towards its mode of life. With regard to T. rex, the serrations
seen on its teeth are very similar to those of the (decidedly carnivorous)
modern Komodo dragon. Serrations of herbivorous dinosaurs like Hypsilophodon
or the modern marine iguana look different, as do the overall shapes of their
teeth. Other clues about diet come from the muscles of the jaw, the size and
shape of the gut, and from coprolites (fossilized feces) from the rock record.
While all land-dwelling “beasts of the field” were initially created as herbivores,
we must remember that the fossils we have come from the world destroyed at
the time of the Flood. That world was “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13)
and far removed from the original goodness of creation. By the time of the
Flood, the combined evidence affirms that T. rex was one of the most
fearsome predators on earth.

“Adaptations” Evolutionary

I was thoroughly disappointed to read the following statement in Melinda Christian’s
“When Sloth Is Not Sin” article: “In fact, the sloth’s remarkable adaptations—including
the metabolism that has made it the slowest living mammal—are necessary for
its survival.” As a graduate from a secular university with a B.S. in geology,
I can say with experience and authority that this usage/context of the word
adaptations was frequently employed by my professors as a catch-all explanation
for the intricate design of creatures. I suggest being clear on God’s role in
the specific design and equipping of creatures to adapt to their environment,
not using the term in anonymity.

Lydia M., Woburn, Massachusetts

Editor’s Response: We agree with the need to be careful with some word choices,
even if technically accurate, because of evolutionary connotations. Since the
name of the department is “Created Creature” and the focus is upon glorifying
the designs of the Creator, we make more assumptions about the reader than we
might in stand-alone articles. We’ll try to be more careful. We asked Answers
in Genesis researcher and biologist, Dr. Georgia Purdom, to comment on adaptations:
“I understand your concern of the word choice of adaptations regarding the sloth’s
characteristics, such as its metabolism. As a biblical creationist, adaptations
are understood as part of God’s amazing design and care for helping organisms
survive in a fallen world. Adaptations by no means allow an organism to gain
features that turn it into a different kind of animal as proposed by evolution.
The magazine has published numerous articles on this topic such as ‘Creation’s Hidden Potential’ (January 2009).”

Answers Magazine

January – March 2012

How can we construct safer buildings? How can we clean up emissions from power plants? Increasingly, engineers are turning to God’s original designs in nature to solve difficult engineering problems. What a testimony to our wise and caring Creator! Also, learn how God is using Amish believers in the USA to help build a new full-size Ark. Plus, discover what the Bible says about those mysterious giants, the Nephilim.

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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.